1. Field of the Present Invention
The present invention generally relates to the field of data processing networks and more particularly to a network enabled to facilitate identification of specified systems or devices of the network.
2. History of Related Art
Computer networks are becoming increasing prevalent in virtually every area where data processing systems are employed. In a typical network, a number of systems or devices are interconnected using wires (cables) or another suitable connection medium. The types of devices that a network may include vary widely with the implementation. Computer networks may include one or more terminals, desktop systems, servers, mainframes, routers, hubs, switches, printers, and various other devices that will be familiar to those skilled in the design of data processing networks. Within the network, individual devices may be assigned identification information such as an Internet protocol (IP) address. In such a network, the identification information may be assigned dynamically such that the identification information associated with a particular device or system may change with time. Dynamic assignment of IP addresses in a network can facilitate IP address management and can improve the efficiency of IP address assignment. When, for example, a particular device is logged off the network, its IP address can be made available for another device or system.
In a network with a large number of devices, however, the dynamic assignment of IP identification information such as IP addresses generally produces difficulty in determining the correlation between a particular IP address and the device to which it is currently assigned. In such an environment, valuable time and effort can be wasted simply determining which system is associated with a particular network address. In a network development environment, where network configuration changes may occur frequently, the ability to identify the device having a particular address easily is highly valuable. It would be, therefore, highly desirable to implement a method and system for easily identifying the correspondence between network devices and network addresses.